1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relate to a probe station system which can measure thermal distribution and thermographic images, and more particularly, to such an probe station which can detect an electrical characteristics change according to the supply of heat to an element, for example a thermoelectric element to measure the characteristics of the element.
2. Description of Related Art
Semiconductor devices are used in a wide range of industrial fields, and their application field expands gradually along with the innovation of semiconductor manufacture technologies and devices. In addition, a variety of applications meeting the trend toward more compactness and thinness are researched and manufactured.
A thermoelectric element of the semiconductor device uses the Seebeck effect. The thermoelectric element is an element in which a p- and n-doped semiconductor that is heated at one side thereof and is cooled at the other side thereof transports electric charges through an external circuit and performs electricity generation through a load. A traditional thermoelectric element was used as a simple functional element such as a thermocouple for measuring a temperature difference using the Seebeck effect and a constant temperature facility using the Peltier effect.
However, in recent years, the manufactures and researches taking the advanced structure are in active progress in a semiconductor device manufacture and material field along with the innovation of the semiconductor device manufacture technologies and devices. For example, the use of a nanowire or the like enables the manufacture of a more compact and flexible application in the manufacture of the thermoelectric element. A compact, high-performance thermoelectric element can implement a power generator as a wearable device.
Therefore, there is the need for rapid detection of whether or not the application is manufactured normally through the detection of the characteristics of the thermoelectric element or the thermoelectric element is operated normally. However, the conventional detection of the characteristics of the thermoelectric element in accordance with the prior art was performed by an indirect measurement method in which an electrical contact is achieved and a change in the electrical resistance of a metal line is measured and is converted into a temperature of the metal line. In other words, a conventional detection and measurement device includes a heat source disposed within a chamber, and a metal line and line that are disposed adjacent to the heat source. In this case, an object which is to be detected is disposed on the metal line and the signal line. Then, a temperature difference is caused to occur at both ends of the to-be-detected object through the heat source, and the electrode resistances of the manufactured to-be-detected object are measured through the metal line in the chamber that maintains a constant temperature for the measurement of a temperature of the to-be-detected object. The electrode resistances of the to-be-detected object vary depending on temperature, and thus the resistances of the electrodes of the to-be-detected object are measured individually by incrementing the temperature by 1K. A process is repeatedly performed which measures the electrode resistances of the to-be-detected object with the temperature incremented to increase accuracy and again measures the electrode resistances of the to-be-detected object according to the temperature with a staring temperature decremented. Because the relationship between temperature and resistance of the element shows a linear characteristics, the temperature of the electrodes at both ends of the to-be-detected object, i.e., the element such as the nanowire can be checked using measured resistance values collected from data gathered through this process, and the characteristics of the to-be-detected object, i.e., a Seebeck coefficient can be calculated by acquiring the temperature data converted from the measured resistance values and a voltage signal difference from the signal line. This process varies depending on elements, and thus a measurement needs to be performed by each element.
However, this method entails a problem in that because it is impossible to measure a voltage difference between both ends of the nanomaterial using a voltmeter and simultaneously measure the resistances of the electrodes at both ends of the nanomaterial together, the voltage difference and the temperature of both ends of the to-be-detected object cannot be measured. For this reason, the voltage difference between both ends of the to-be-detected object is first measured and then the resistances of the electrodes at both ends of the to-be-detected object are measured. This method causes a time difference between the detected results, and thus ultimately induces an error in the calculation of the characteristics of the to-be-detected object element. In particular, the measurement of temperature and voltage of the to-be-detected object in accordance with the prior art must be performed in a vacuum atmosphere and the measurement of temperature of the element must be performed in a low temperature environment. As such, a measurement environment condition is complicated as well as the measurement of temperature of an um unit under this environment is considerably difficult. Furthermore, the grasping itself of heat distribution is difficult, thus making it difficult to secure reliability of the measured values.